Social Media is not a Ship, it is the Ocean
Social media is not a ship, it is the ocean. This, it seems to me, is the key to understanding what is going on and what it means for professional technical communicators. Writers complain that...
View ArticleThe Web Does Minimalism
It struck me today that the Web does Minimalism. Not only does it do it, it does it naturally, and it does it well. Consider: Here’s a common listing of the principle tenants of minimalism (borrowed...
View ArticleAm I a Content Strategist?
I’m a fan of emerging technology, and generally tolerant of emerging terminology, but when it comes to job titles I tend to the view that if it was not mentioned in the Domesday Book, it isn’t a real...
View ArticleDesert Island Docs
There is a long-running radio program on the BBC called Desert Island Discs that asks celebrities what recordings they would take with them if they were going to be stranded on a desert island. Today,...
View ArticleHow the Web Restores Civilization
There is no doubt that the Web is highly disruptive. Nicholas Carr thinks it is rotting our brains. David Weinberger, on the other hand, thinks it is fundamentally changing (for the better) they way we...
View ArticleThe Web Leaves You Smarter, But Feeling Dumber
Is the Web making us smarter or dumber? Kath McNiff sums up the dilemma beautifully: I fear that the web is not making me smarter. It’s distressing my synapses and dumbing me down. Not because the...
View ArticleThe Death of Hierarchy
Hierarchy as a form of content organization is dying. A major milestone — I want to say tombstone — in its demise is the shutdown of the Yahoo directory, which will occur at the end of the year...
View ArticleAny technology you use should be “Googlable”
‘Any technology you use should be “Googlable”‘. These are the words of Bill Scott, VP Engineering, Merchant | Retail | Online Payments at PayPal, as reported by the amazing Sarah Maddox. (I say...
View ArticleThe War Between Content Management and Hypertext
Summary: As content consumers, we love hypertext. As content creators, we still believe in content management, even after years of disappointment. Content management disappoints because it does not...
View ArticleThe other thing wrong with the DIKW pyramid
I took a side swipe at the DIKW (Data Information Knowledge Wisdom) pyramid the other day, and included a link to David Weinberger’s excellent debunking of it, which concludes: The real problem with...
View Article
